Let Your Light Shine

“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely hon my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." Matthew 5:11-16

The morning light was barely there
a whisper over my shoulder
dawn unremarkable and tenuous
the persecutions of the night
so real, so inescapable.

It has been a long night
of storms and trials
a truth tellers punishment
a prophets pay isolation
and derision from all sides.

You knew the deepest dark
you held the bleakest pain
you sang to the depths of deprivation
and blessed us all.

The light which breaks through
is from your heart implanted
in my feeble lamp, my wavering
wandering, cautious light
and by your love it becomes
a beacon for the still lost
the other ships navigating
rough seas.

I will stand on the cliffs
and shine for you, for them
for you have rescued and blessed
over and over and continue
moment by moment to bring
new days from the ashes,
the abuse, neglect and the pain.

Your hand is in the midst
the mud and debris you create anew
light and blessing
more than enough for today.